Many people suffer from foot pain and discomfort, which may be due to various factors that may include injury, structural imbalance and excessive activity. These factors lead to various foot conditions such as plantar fascitis, metatarsalgia, bunions, heel pain, as well as blisters, corns and calluses. Various attempts to alleviate foot pain and discomfort have been developed including the use of cushioned hosiery, such as stockings and socks. These known attempts have employed multiple layers, high density terry loop soles and inflatable bladders to provide cushion to the foot. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,277,959 and 5,329,640. These known designs, however, only provide generalized cushioning without furnishing the wearer with the ability to adjust the degree and placement of the cushioning to conform to the wearer's particular needs. In many cases, the inability to adjust the cushioning to these needs fails the intended purpose, which is to alleviate foot pain and discomfort.
Further, such generalized cushioning can be harmful to the wearer. For example, such generalized hosiery designs may not sufficiently conform to the wearer and the hosiery can bunch up or slide about the foot. This can cause additional discomfort and areas of focal pressure. In certain cases, such as those persons having peripheral neuropathy, skin sores can result.
Therefore, it would be desirable to overcome the disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art with footwear hosiery, which defines a receptacle and includes a pad configured for removable disposal within the receptacle. Desirably, the pad is fabricated from a memory foam material. Most desirably, the hosiery can be adjustable and includes a plurality of alternately sized cushions interchangeably receivable within the receptacle. It is contemplated that the footwear hosiery is easily and efficiently manufactured.